Nightmares Linked to Rapid Biological Aging and Early Death
A 2025 study from Imperial College London, analyzing 183,000 adults and 2,400 children, found that those who had bad dreams once a week or more had shorter telomeres, associated with faster cellular aging. They also found that those who experienced regular nightmares were three times more likely to die before the age of 70 compared with those who did not––concluding that nightmare frequency may be a stronger predictor of premature death than smoking, obesity, poor diet or lack of physical activity. The researchers note that the release of the stress hormone cortisol during bad dreams, and the disruption of restful sleep which upsets the body’s overnight cellular repair processes, could play roles in the accelerated biological aging. But the researchers note that future studies are needed to determine whether treating nightmares could actually slow biological aging and reduce mortality risk in the general population.
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